Subsea Cable Termination Assembly, Subsea Connector and Method

Abstract

A subsea cable termination assembly for a subsea cable that includes an optical fiber for data transmission is provided. The subsea cable termination assembly includes a chamber that has a liquid tight seal against an ambient medium surrounding the subsea cable termination assembly, and a media converter arranged in the chamber. The media converter includes an optical interface adapted to be connected to an optical fiber of the subsea cable, and an electrical interface. The subsea cable termination assembly also includes an electric contact arranged outside the chamber and electrically connected to the electrical interface of the media converter arranged inside the chamber.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of EP 12186843.4, filed on Oct. 1, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD[0002]The present embodiments relate to a subsea cable termination assembly for a subsea cable.BACKGROUND[0003]Due to the increasing energy demands, offshore oil and gas production is moving into deeper waters. For providing an efficient and secure production, processing facilities are being installed at the ocean floor. Such subsea installations may include a range of components, including pumps, compressors and the like, as well as a power grid for operating the components. The power grid may, for example, include a subsea transformer, subsea switchgear and subsea variable speed drives. The components of the subsea installation are to be protected from the surrounding seawater, in which pressures of 300 bar or more may prevail (e.g., at installation depths of 3,000 m or more).[0004]Components of such subsea installations may include electronic equipment...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0030]A further embodiment provides a subsea cable assembly that includes a subsea cable including one or more optical fibers for data transmission and a subsea connector in any of the above outlined configurations. The cable termination assembly of the subsea connector terminates the subsea cable at an end of the subsea cable and provides an optical connection of the one or more optical fibers to the media converter. Such subsea cable assembly may enable an optical transmission of data at relatively high bandwidth over considerable distances (e.g., in excess of 1 kilometer). For example, such subsea cable assembly may enable a communication between different Christmas trees of a subsea installation. It is thus not necessary to have at each Christmas tree an umbilical to a topside installation, which may result in considerable cost reductions, since umbilicals may be very expensive. With the subsea cable assembly, advantages similar to the ones outlined further above may be achieved.

Problems solved by technology

Although such type of communication link may achieve relatively high bandwidth (e.g., 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps or even 1 Gbps), such types of communication links are limited in physical length.

In general, communication using such type of technology is thus limited to subsea control modules of the same Christmas tree.

Such connectors are relatively complex and cost intensive to design and produce.

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